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For families feeling squeezed in tough times, the annual report from Ontario’s Auditor General, Jim McCarter, will leave them feeling like they’ve been put through the wringer.

I’ve spent a lot of time travelling the province and talking to people from all walks of life. They know these are tough times, and they’re worried — whether it’s finding a job, helping an aging parent, or just paying the bills.

They’ve been told to expect less from government even as they pay more.

They’ve been ready to make sacrifices and responsible choices, but they do expect their government to put their needs first. The auditor’s report made it clear that far too often, this just isn’t happening.

The most shocking example is in uncollected taxes. Everyday families scramble to pay taxes on time and they assume that others are doing the same. However, the report reveals the McGuinty Liberals are getting ready to write off $1.4 billion in unpaid corporate and retail sales tax. In fact, the auditor revealed it takes an average of seven months before anyone at the ministry of finance even picked up the phone to call companies and ask!

The auditor also revealed the cost of the Presto transit-card system has ballooned to $700 million. Presto fare cards were supposed to make commuting easier, but the cost of the 10-year agreement has nearly tripled. It’s now on-track to be one of the most expensive fare-card systems in the entire world.

For most Ontarians, who have been told that they have to sacrifice in tough times, it would seem the government has two standards. When people don’t pay their taxes, they are slapped with an audit. When people put something up for sale, they’re not allowed to triple the price.

Unfortunately, when Ontarians look at their government lately, what they see are some well-connected people get off the hook for their obligations, while the everyday citizen is asked to pay more and expect less.

We see that when we look at some of the insights the auditor provides into our health care system. People want to know that when a loved one needs long-term care it will be there for them. But wait times to get into long-term care is three times longer today.

Ninety percent of diabetes can be prevented, but only three percent of the money for a provincial diabetes strategy is being invested in prevention. If we don’t slow this down, there will be 2 million Ontarians with diabetes, and costing our health care system $7 billion by 2020.

Ironically, these were exactly the sort of problems that the McGuinty Liberals promised to fix when they took office. In his election platform, Dalton McGuinty denounced the Conservatives “wasteful misspending” and highlighted the government’s failure to collect $400 million in corporate taxes.

It’s clear that after nearly a decade in power, this Liberal government is completely out of touch with the everyday people who make this province work. They’ve shut down to legislature and let the problems they promised to solve continue to fester as Ontarians fall further behind.

The auditor general has provided us with a real wake-up call, and on a personal note, I want to thank Mr. McCarter, for his decade of service and wish him the best when he retires in April. But I look forward to his final report looking into the millions the McGuinty Liberals spent cancelling the gas plant in Mississauga.

I have a feeling the report may leave us feeling like we’ve been through the wringer... again.